


Hermanito

by Aethernight



Category: Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (Cartoon 2018), Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles - All Media Types
Genre: Brotherly Bonding, Brotherly Love, Not a ship fic, TCEST DNI, Timeskip, Turtle Tots (TMNT), not tcest
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-07
Updated: 2020-06-07
Packaged: 2021-03-04 02:26:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,675
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24595987
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aethernight/pseuds/Aethernight
Summary: A series of snippets in the lives of the two youngest Jitsu’s. Leo will always be there for his youngest brother. And he knows Mikey will be there for him too.Fluffy Rise! brotherly moments!! NOT TCEST!!
Relationships: Leo & Mikey
Comments: 2
Kudos: 68





	Hermanito

**Author's Note:**

> I’ve been on a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle craze since I started rewatching the 2012 series after EIGHT YEARS, then I watched Rise, then I watched the Batman crossover movie, and I’m now on my fourth rewatch of Batman VS, and then I checked out the 2003 series and Bayverse movies also the original cartoons, AND I want to read the IDW comics so yeah at this point I have a problem. 
> 
> For Rise, Leo is undoubtedly my favorite, and probably my favorite turtle EVER now [I’m still a bit biased towards 2012 Donnie but shhh], and I smile every time he’s on screen. And Mikey, my sweet sunshine child, I’m so proud of him and I feel like this could be one of his best incarnations ever so I decided to write about the awesomeness of Leo and his ONLY little brother. (Wow that’s still crazy to wrap my head around.)
> 
> Out of all of them, Rise is definitely my favorite because it’s nothing but wholesome, and I could gush about how much I enjoy it, but what I love is how the characters and their dynamics have changed. Especially how Leo and Mikey are the youngest now, and how Leo is so protective of Mike. It’s the cutest thing and I had to write about them! First time writing for TMNT so please be nice, but I hope to write for more versions of the franchise in the future!
> 
> Some headcanons and notes: I’ve seen a lot of people draw Mikey as a child and his brothers are much older, so I made him extra baby, but I also headcanon that Mike took the longest to grow physically and mentally, so I hope that explains a few things. 
> 
> Final note: thanks to my new discord server for inspiring me to finish this!

“BREAKFAST’S READY!!!”

“AAHHHHH-”

A loud thud was heard throughout the lair, but no one was alarmed, despite the terrified scream that accompanied it. The source of the sound, a six-year-old slider, was very upset that his oldest brother had woken him up. And very sore too, as his shell throbbed from the fall. 

With a groan, Leo pulled himself up and walked into the kitchen. Raph had laid out twice-preheated leftovers they had scavenged. At the sight of half-eaten pancakes and greasy hashbrowns, Leo squealed and nearly launched himself onto the table. He was stopped by a pair of large, scaly hands wrapping around him and pulling him into a hug. 

“AHH! Raph! Let go of me!”

“Nu-uh! Ya need to wait for everyone else to get in here before we can eat!”

“Then tell everyone to move their butts!”

The older turtle laughed at his brother and gently set him down. Leo huffed in annoyance and crossed his arms. He hated waiting, for anyone or anything. He felt relieved when Donnie walked in but frowned when Mikey and dad still hadn’t shown up. 

“Dad’s still asleep on his chair,” Donnie noted absentmindedly. Leo went around asking where Mikey was, but nobody knew. His twin mentioned he was likely still sleeping so Leo rushed off to his youngest brother’s room, shouting, “Mikey, are you in here?”

The slider searched for the box turtle, whose room was surprisingly messy and full for a homeless five-year-old. There were unfished posters and boxes lining the floor, dirty canvases hanging crooked on the walls, and broken toys scattered everywhere. Leo was so absorbed in his hunt he almost missed the sound of quick, light footsteps rushing towards him. Emphasis on almost because the screaming gave the attacker away. 

“SNEAK ATTACK!!”

Leo spun around just in time to catch Mikey and avoid getting socked in the face. He sighed, “Mikey, sneak attacks don’t work if you yell it out loud.” 

The little turtle chirped in surprise that his brother saw him, before crying out in frustration. “Weo! I want to zupwise you! Imma ninja zo I need be zteawthy!!”

Leo giggled at his brother’s pouty face and held him closer. Mikey was still small enough to easily hold in his arms and Leo thought he was the cutest brother in the whole wide world. Even when he was screaming about his failed prank.

To calm him down, the slider rubbed the box’s shell and nuzzled him. Mikey hummed and nuzzled back with a small smile. He had always been the most cuddly of the group and constantly wanted physical affection. Sometimes he was almost more demanding then Leo, but the six-year-old always made sure he was number one in everything, including being most annoying. 

Eventually, Leo sat down and placed his brother on his lap. “Now, is there a reason you weren’t at breakfast, Mike?”

The child ducked his head into his shell. The older brother huffed; clearly, Mikey didn’t wasn’t to talk, but Leo’s hungry stomach was way more important right now! He rubbed the small turtle’s back again until Mikey peaked out. 

“Are you ready to talk?” The young turtle nodded and Leo smiled. Mikey curled up in his lap and snuggled into his brother’s hold before speaking. 

“I had nitemare wast nite. A-and no one waz dere with me! Monster had dark, scary eyes and teeth big enouf to eat Raphie! I-I waz zo scared, when I wake up, I ztay in bed ‘cause I safe from monsterz!”

Mikey’s eyes had started to tear up as he spoke and Leo held him even tighter. He felt awful because he knew his brother had been having nightmares for weeks, ever since he saw a horror movie ad, but luckily he knew the perfect way to cheer him up. 

Leo kissed his brother’s forehead, making the tiny child giggle before being set down. Leo looked Mikey right in the eye and put on the most serious face he could muster. 

“Now Mikey, remember next time you have a nightmare, if you come get me, your awesome brother Leo can chase away the monsters!! They’ll tremble at how cool I am!! And then I’ll HOT SOUP them in the face!!”

Mikey was rolling on his back by the time Leo was finished, laughing freely with the biggest grin on his face. But the slider wasn’t finished yet. As quickly as he could, Leo approached his brother and pulled him into another hug. Mikey stilled but didn’t stop laughing. A sly smirk crossed the six-year-old’s face as he wiggled his fingers over his brother’s sides. 

A squeak escaped Mikey and he tried to pry his big brother off, but Leo’s tickles were too powerful. The child laughed harder as his brother held him close, saying “the only monster here is the Tickle Monster!” The box’s joyful chirps and squeals could be heard throughout the lair until Leo decided his brother had enough and released him from the hug. 

Mikey rubbed away the tears in his eyes and grinned toothily at his brother. “Tank you, Weo! Can we get breakfest now?”

“I thought you would never ask! Here, want me to carry you?”

Mikey nodded and Leo picked him up and ran as fast as he could into the kitchen, giggling at the box turtle’s squeaks of joy. Once they joined everyone, Leo sat his brother now on the highest stool and grabbed a plate from Raph before serving himself. 

The turtles immediately started eating, not caring that their dad was still fast asleep. They already put aside a plate for him, anyways. 

Through a mouthful of pancakes, Leo spotted his baby brother happily munching away at his food. The five-year-old noticed and gave a syrupy smile to his brother.

Mikey was his only little brother. And Leo would do anything to keep him smiling.

~  
~  
~

“Stupid Raph. Stupid mission. Stupid Donnie. Stupid villains. Stupid sword. Stupid dad. Stupid city. Stupid Mikey. Stupid ninjitsu. Stupid stupid stupid stupid stupid stupid stu-”

“Hey, Leo, you okay?”

The blue-clad turtle groaned when he heard his brother’s voice from the garage entrance. He really wanted to be alone, but he should’ve known Mikey would show up eventually. 

Leo sighed and sheathed his sword. The training dummies had an abundance of new scratches thanks to the slider, who had been up practicing all night. 

The teen leaned against the wall, catching his breath, before turning to his brother. “What do you want, Miguel? In case you haven’t noticed, I don’t feel like talking right now.”

“I know, I know, but you’ve been in here forever. I’m worried about you, dude. We all are. Raph won’t stop stress knitting, Dad keeps asking about you, and even Donnie was gonna come in here! Well, I mean, he said he was thinking about coming in here so that counts. Anyways…”

Mikey placed his hands on his brother’s shoulders and leaned up so he was face to face with Leo. The box turtle took a deep breath, giving Leo just enough time to prepare for ‘Doctor Delicate Touch.’

“WHAT’S WRONG WITH YOU, MAN!?!?!?!?! YOU SKIPPED OUT ON PIZZA!!!! ARE YOU DYING OR SOMETHING!?!?!?!?!?!?!”

“AAHHH NO MIKE!! I’m fine!! Now if you would leave me alone I’d be even better!” Leo pushed his brother away and picked his sword back up. The slider made his way back to the dummies when something grabbed him from behind. 

“WHAT THE F- MIKEY!!! PUT ME DOWN!!!”

“NEVER!!”

The smaller turtle laughed maniacally as he carried Leo through the lair. The older tried to pry himself from his brother, but Mikey wouldn’t budge. The two received some stares and confused looks from the rest of the family but the younger continued on his way. 

Soon, they arrived in Mikey’s room and the box turtle plopped his brother onto his hammock. Leo tried to protest, but his brother flopped over the slider and smirked, “now that Doctor Feelings work is done, wanna tell me what’s bugging you?”

Leo scowled and crossed his arms. The last thing he wanted to do right now was talk to someone, but Mikey was looking at him with those big puppy-dog eyes and only someone with no soul could say no to that face. Like Donnie. 

“Fiiiinnnnnneeeeeeee…” Leo groaned, “I’m mad at Raph, and well, everyone and everything else. We totally could’ve taken out those Foot goons last night, but nnnooooo Raph wanted to try out the new move that we literally JUST learned and of course it failed and the baddies got away with whatever evil gizmo they were after, and now we’ll have to deal with that later!! It’s just so frustrating!! I told him we should’ve split up and done a sneak attack but he tuned me out! This happens every time!! For just once in my life I wish someone would listen to me!!”

“I’m listening to you, Leo.”

Now that caught Leo off guard. He looked down and saw the concern in his little brother’s eyes. The slider hadn’t realized how angry he had gotten. Sure, he didn’t want to even be speaking to Mikey in the first place, but now his brother had gone out of his way to try and help him. And the box lending his ear was just what Leo needed right now. 

The older turtle sighed and rubbed Mikey’s carapace. “Geez, bro, I’m sorry. I didn’t realize how frustrated I was.”

“It’s okay, Leon. But do you think you’ll talk to Raph ‘bout it?”

“I don’t know.” Another sigh. “I need some time, I guess. To think to myself, ya know?”

“Well, lucky for you, we got all the time in the world! Since you weren’t at dinner, I got a snack for us…”

Leo quirked a nonexistent eyebrow in interest as his little brother pulled out a box of chocolate Pop-Tarts and several Capri Suns. The slider had no idea where Mikey had gotten the food, but he wasn’t complaining. Nope. Not one bit. 

“Woah, Miguel! This is some high-quality stuff! Wait, were you saving it for me?”

Mikey gave his brother a toothy grin and nodded. “Well, it was gonna be a last resort, but let’s dig in! I don’t want the others to find my stash!”

Through a mouthful of breakfast tart, Leo thanked his brother for forcing him to talk. Mikey replied that he was happy to do it and gladly help again. “Next time I’ll get bagels!”

Leo chuckled and threw an arm around his brother. “Sounds like a plan! Cheers, brother!”

The two turtles clinked their plastic drinks together with a smile. They laughed and chatted away for the rest of the night, and when the rest of the family found them surrounded by wrappers, snoring on top of each other in the morning, everyone left them alone to their dreams. 

~  
~  
~

“Hheeeeyyyyyy, Michelangelo, you there? I know it’s almost sunrise but I had something for you…”

It had been a long night. But for the best of reasons. Leo smiled when he saw the discarded wrapping paper and lights twinkling with life in his youngest brother’s room. He reached down to scratch Pepperoni behind the ears when the kitten yokai rubbed against his leg. 

From under the blanket pile on the hammock, a sleepy box turtle poked his head out and grinned at his brother. “Hey, Leo! Thanks for the new skateboard! I can’t wait to razzle-dazzle everyone with all my new skills!”

Leo chuckled and sat down next to Mikey. “I can’t wait either, Miguel. Now, do you wanna see what I have, or are you too comfy and I’ll just give you this later?”

“Gimme, gimme, gimme!” Like a child, Mikey reached for the box in Leo’s hands. The slider held up a finger to stop his brother from tearing into the gift. 

“Now, it’s delicate, so be VERY careful opening it!”

“Phu-leaze! Doctor Delicate Touch has this all under control!”

Leo gingerly handed his brother the present, who slowly peeled off the wrappings before flipping open the box. 

A surprised smile spread over Mikey’s face as he peered into the box. The older turtle grinned and mentally applauded for himself, even though he knew Mikey would love his final gift. The ocelot-look alike kitty leaped onto the hammock and sniffed the box, her nine tails swishing. Mikey smiled even brighter and finally pulled out the gift to show his family. 

“Leon, how’d you get this? I thought that place closed months ago ‘cause of us?”

“Well, April contacted the owner and they whipped it up for her, since she was the best employee and all that.”

In Mikey’s hand, he held the most simple but delicious looking cupcake any of them had ever seen. It was small, wrapped in orange and blue, and topped with a swirl of golden frosting. Inside the box was a card from April, attached to a gift card for ‘Run of the Mill Pizza.’

The box turtle grinned so wide his beak hurt and he threw his free arm around Leo, squeezing him in the tightest hug he could muster. “THANKS SO MUCH, LEO!! YOU’RE THE BEST BROTHER!!”

The older sibling smiled and hugged back, nuzzling his brother’s head. “Only the best dessert for my best brother! Now, you gonna eat it because Pepper is this close to taking a bite herself!”

Mikey giggled and bit into the cupcake. His eyes grew big and his jaw dropped in amazement before he hungrily took another bite. Leo laughed as he tore through the treat, ruining the fancy frosting and smearing cake all over his face. 

“Mmph, Weo, this is incwedible! How’d you pick pancwke?”

“Well, you always get hyped when we get them for breakfast, so why not put it into a dessert?”

Mikey nodded and licked his lips, before breaking off part of the cupcake. Leo’s brow ridges furrowed in confusion as he was handed a piece of the treat. 

“Miguel, this is for you! So why are you giving me some?”

“Uh-duh, ‘cause you’re my brother! This is too tasty not to share!”

Leo blinked as he held his piece. He wondered what he did to deserve such a great younger brother as he watched Mikey let his cat lick frosting off his hands. 

The slider hummed, content, as he ate the cupcake. It wasn’t too sweet and had a rich maple flavor, just like a regular pancake. 

When both boys and kitten had finished their dessert, Leo rubbed Mikey’s carapace. “Hey, how’s that scar healing up?”

“Oh, it’s fine. But when it heals up, oh man! I’m gonna have such a cool story to go with it!”

Leo chuckled and glanced at the large x-shaped slash on his brother. He was glad none of them had received any mortal injuries, but the damage would always be there. Luckily, they wouldn’t have to worry about Big Mama. At least for a little while.

Mikey tilted his head in concern and pointed to the new crescent shape running above Leo’s left eye. “And what about you? You got the nastiest hit, bro. Does it still hurt?” 

Leo shook his head softly, tracing the scar that now rested on his brow. “Nope. It’s alright. And I have all of you to thank for getting me out of there…”

“Aw Leo, you’re getting all sentimental!! I guess my birthday spread even more good vibes than I thought!”

Leo huffed a laugh and hopped off the hammock. He leaned down and placed a soft kiss on his brother’s head. He held Mikey in a hug one last time before whispering, “happy eighteenth birthday, hermanito.”

He felt Mikey smile into the hug and the two brothers nuzzled. Until Pepperoni meowed with displeasure and pushed her way into the cuddle. The two turtles laughed and stroked her as the yokai made happy purrs. 

“Well, we’re both supposed to be asleep, so good night, Miguel. I love you, brother.”

“Thanks for everything, Leon. I love you too, bro! Don’t let the sewer bugs bite!”

**Author's Note:**

> I noticed each of these stories took place in Mikey’s room and I have no idea why that happened, seriously. Maybe because I love the aesthetic of his room in Rise? I dunno…
> 
> I love to do slice of life stuff and I think I always included food somewhere in my stories lol. 
> 
> I heard Mikey has had a cat in almost every version so I had to put one in this story! I got the name suggestion months ago on Instagram and LOVED it!
> 
> Hermanito is “little brother” in Spanish, according to Google translate. 
> 
> I’m hoping to do more Rise fics!! I have some ideas for ones with Raph because he deserves all the love. And I have an idea for Mikey and Don in 2012, but it might work better for Rise so I’m conflicted. And then I N E E D to do something for the Batman vs movie because it ‘twas LIT!


End file.
